Authorities are currently investigating a tragic plane collision that occurred on Tuesday at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, involving a Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger jet and a Japan Coast Guard plane on the runway. The incident resulted in the unfortunate loss of five lives.
The collision involved a JAL flight, identified as JAL-516, operating an Airbus A350-900, making a routine landing on Runway C around 5:47 p.m. local time. Tragically, the jet caught fire after striking a waiting Japan Coast Guard plane, a turboprop De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8, which was awaiting takeoff. Of the six crew members on the Coast Guard plane, five lost their lives, while all 379 passengers and crew on the JAL flight successfully evacuated, avoiding further casualties. Fourteen passengers on the JAL jet sustained minor injuries, and the Coast Guard pilot suffered severe injuries.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, and authorities emphasize that determining the root cause will take time. Notably, the Coast Guard plane lacked a modern ADS-B transponder, according to Flightradar24, an international flight-tracking service. ADS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, is a technology providing three-dimensional position and identification of aircraft, transmitting critical information about an aircraft’s GPS location, altitude, and ground speed. While conventional radar systems are in use, ADS-B is considered more accurate and efficient.
The collision occurred after dark, potentially complicating visibility. An aviation expert suggested that the relatively small size and wingspan of the Coast Guard plane might have contributed to the difficulty in detecting it. Passengers on the JAL flight reported feeling the impact during landing, and the urgency of the situation led them to evacuate using slides, primarily from the front doors, as the back and middle doors were reportedly inaccessible.
Over 100 firefighting vehicles were deployed to extinguish the ensuing blaze, a process that took six hours to complete.
Regarding the intended destinations of the planes involved, the Coast Guard plane, based at Haneda, was en route to deliver relief supplies to Niigata, an area struck by a devastating earthquake the day before. Meanwhile, the JAL flight originated from New Chitose Airport in Sapporo, located in the northern region of Hokkaido.
In response to the incident, Airbus announced its commitment to assist in the crash investigation, highlighting that the A350-900 involved was delivered to Japan Airlines in 2021.
While fatal commercial air crashes are rare in the aviation industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global airline trade association, reported five accidents with passenger and crew fatalities in 2022, based on the latest available data. This figure represents a decrease from seven such accidents in 2021, underscoring the industry’s ongoing efforts to enhance safety and reduce the occurrence of fatal incidents.
The tragic collision at Haneda Airport has prompted a comprehensive investigation, involving multiple factors such as aircraft technology, visibility conditions, and emergency response procedures. As authorities work to determine the root cause, the incident raises awareness about the importance of continuous advancements in aviation safety measures to prevent and mitigate such tragic events in the future.